Sports After Dark

The Sharks and Crusaders kept their unbeaten records intact and the spectre of foul play raised its ugly head as this weekends Super 14 fixtures came to a close.

Highlanders 6 Hurricanes 10
The early signs in this game were good as the visitors jumped out to an early lead with a Jerry Collins try, but after 10 minutes the skill level on show dropped to something resembling under 14, not Super 14. Both sides seemed to have no idea how to hold on to the ball or what to do with it. Most of my notes about this game are not printable, and the less said about this game the better.

Waratahs 24 Brumbies 17
The all Aussie derby match of this round produced a tight and enthralling contest, which could have gone either way. In the end it was the home side who capitalised on their chances in the second half to claim a good win over their neighbours thanks to tries to Lote Tuqiri and Dean Mumm. The Waratahs went up 10-0 mid way through the first half, before the Brumbies fight back began, oddly enough sparked by a yellow card to mid-fielder Tyrone Smith who watched his side draw level while down a man. The second half was a stalemate, broke only by Tuqiri’s intercept try, and Mumm’s try from a charge down.

Bulls 31 Lions 17
In spite of being down to 13 men at one stage, and 14 for most of the match, the Bulls got their season back on track with a win in their local derby match. Bulls’ fullback Zane Kirchner was sent off after 29 minutes for a spear tackle and enforcer Bakkies Botha was sin binned for his part in the ensuing melee, but the Lions were only able to muster one try with a two man advantage. The difference between the two teams was the boot of Bulls’ fly half Derek Hougaard who kept the scoreboard ticking over for the home side and finished with a haul of 21 points.

Chiefs 22 Cheetahs 20
In a game of two halves, the Cheetahs squandered a 17-0 half time lead to crash to their fourth loss of the season. Cheetahs’ wingers Eddie Fredericks and Jongi Nokwe picked up tries in the first half as the visitors dominated proceedings, but the long travel took its toll on their fitness and the Cheetahs wilted in the second half. With the Cheetahs clinging on to a 20-19 lead, Fredericks went from hero to zero, being sin binned for a high tackle on Leila Masaga and allowing Stephen Donald, who had been shaky all game, to kick the winning goal.

Reds 16 Stormers 34
The Stormers showed their opening three losses were due to their tough draw, romping to a bonus point win over the lackluster Reds. The visitors dominated the game out of the gate, picking up an early penalty goal and had Luke Watson held up over the line twice. The Reds got on the scoreboard soon after with a Berrick Barnes drop goal and the game would remain close until the 70th minute as the teams traded goal kicks and tries. In the final 10 minutes the Stormers picked up tries to Watson and Tonderai Chavhanga, sealing the win for the Cape Town team.

Sharks 22 Blues 17
The Sharks got themselves off to the best start possible, Keegan Daniel scoring a try after just 15 seconds and the home side never looked back from there. Controlling the tempo for most of the game the home side never allowed the Blues to get into their rhythm, going into the break up 19-3. The Blues were finally able to show their class in the second half, picking up tries to Nick Evans and replacement half back Taniela Moa, but were unable to land the finishing blow.

Force 24 Crusaders 29
In what was a clash of very similar styles, the Force pushed the Crusaders all the way in their best showing of the year so far. In the early stages of the match the Force “out-Crusaded” the Crusaders, shifting the point of attack, dominating the loose forward battle and counterattacking brilliantly. The teams traded two tries each in the opening 30 minutes, but it was the home side who broke the deadlock on the back of a try to Richard Brown to lead 17-12 at half time. Another try to Lachlan McKay early in the second half secured the Force a bonus point and the upset was on. However the Crusaders were able to draw on their experience, running in three tries in the final 30 minutes to secure the win and send themselves top of the table.

Similar Posts:

• Blues and Crusaders sound warning to the rest of the Super 14
• Force stopped as Crusaders run riot
• Top teams continue their dominance in the Super 14
• Super 14 Week 1 Review
• Super 14 about to kick into high gear as round three looms

The Super 14: Local derbies and close games make for a good round, mostly by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.